The Lone Wanderer's Kingdom
by Fallout3Girly
Summary: The Lone Wanderer sets out to find her father. She gets caught up in helping other people, walking down the wrong pathway and meeting some new friends. Gaining and interesting reputation the Brotherhood decide they want her on their side instead of against her and so does the Enclave. She loses herself and thinks of ending her life. With everything done she gets a secret mission.
1. Straight out of the Vault

**I OWN NOTHING. It's just a fanfic. All right's to Bethesda.**

I knew that I was destined for greatness. I know that sounds narcissistic like I am putting myself above everyone else, but it was a feeling I had deep in my heart. At night, when my father was sleeping in his bed, I would get up, silently and quickly made my way into the bathroom and just stared at my reflection.

Even though my father said we were born in the Vault, I somehow ended up with a mutation due to radiation. My eyes were amber, with golden flecks. They were absolutely beautiful according to many of the dwellers. But, the only downside to them were my pupils. My pupils were cat-like. They unsettled everyone who gazed into my eyes. My lashes were black despite my hair color and were luscious.

My skin was creamy pale, blemish free and softer that silk. My lips were pale pink and looked smooth. I was well toned. My hair was the color of blood and fell into pools on my shoulders.

I was just in the standard gray tank and gray shorts, and my Pipboy was on my left arm. I clicked the bathroom light off and quietly walked out. Instead of going back to bed I decided to walk around the Vault even though the sights were annoying. I clicked the button, and the door slid up, and I slid outside, the door closing behind me.

I knew every placement that the guards stood. Of course, that means when they are doing their job and not fucking one of my classmates. Luckily for me, the guard that hug around my hall was off fucking someone, and I was easily able to walk down the corridor.

I slowly made my way to the Overseer's office, mostly because I knew that there was a secret tunnel that leads to the outside world hidden there. I knew my dad would disapprove of the nightly activity of me trying to find a way out of the oh so precious Vault.

I made it there quite quickly, and without much hassle. Most of the guards were off doing something else besides Gomez, but he wouldn't say anything to the Overseer. The lights were off, and I didn't see him in there when I passed by. I quickly picked the lock and forced the door to open just enough so I could slide through. I quietly slid the door back down and kept crouch so no one would see me.

The lamp flipped on, and my entire body froze. I was still facing the door, and I could feel my heart beating against my chest. I slowly stood up and turned around to see the Overseer sitting in his chair behind his metallic desk.

"So you're the one who is sneaking around during the nightly hours," he mumbled quietly.

"Yeah, so?" I asked crossing my arms.

He sighed and got out of his seat. He was my friend, Amata's father. He was quite old, maybe older than my father. He slowly walked up to me, his shoulders relaxed. I watched him carefully, knowing that he was into the younger women since I saw him fucking one of my classmates nearly three years ago.

"What is it that you're looking for?" He asked me, and I shrugged.

"A way out of this fucked up hell hole," I replied calmly and a look of disgust crossed his face.

"This place isn't bad," he said, and a snarky chuckle escaped from my throat, and I quickly covered my mouth.

"Real paradise alright," I muttered sarcastically.

"What's wrong with this place?" He asked me and I rolled my eyes.

"Most of your guards are usually off fucking my classmates, you fuck my classmates and have been for years. And not to mention that the Vault is slowly falling apart," I said, and anger flared in his eyes.

His hand quickly wrapped around my throat and shoved me back into the door. A loud thud rang out, and his face was awkwardly close to mine. His nose was barely touching mine, and I could feel his breath on my cheeks.

"You will not speak of that again," he ordered through gritted teeth.

"And if I do?" I forced out even though I had difficulty breathing.

He threw me to the floor, but I was able to land on my elbow and hip instead of hitting my head against the cool floor. A sharp pain ran through my arm once my elbow made contact. Before I could move, he forced me onto to my back and straddled my waist. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them to my chest. For being old, he was quite strong.

"I know how to silence brats like you," he muttered, and I arched my brow.

Even though I wasn't sure what was going on my heart was beating calmly. He was staring down at me. No, he was staring at my chest like a hungry dog.

"Pervert," I mumbled before bringing my knee up hard into his groin. He groaned in pain, and I shoved him off of me. He held his crotch and moaned in pain.

"God damn bitch," he muttered.

"Don't touch me again," I said before leaving his office.

My nightly adventures stopped after that night, and I never told my father. The Overseer avoided me if he could. The only time he spoke to me was at graduation. Asking me how I was, asking if I told anyone his dark secret. I, of course, didn't answer him because he wasn't worth my time.

I spent most of my time working with my father and Jonas, working on my skills and dreaming of leaving the Vault.

My nineteenth birthday was around the corner, but no one would give me what I wanted. My father still made me a cake and what I wanted for dinner which was squirrel stew. The cake turned out uneven, but we still laughed and had a good time. But the fun was short-lived because the Overseer called me to his office.

I hugged my dad tightly before leaving. I walked to the Overseer's office. I entered his office, and he had a card in his hand and a cold look on his face. He motioned for me to sit in the seat across from his desk and I did. He gave me the note, and I quickly read over it.

It talked about my nineteenth birthday and how he was happy for me. Then it drifted off to how he would give me anything if I wouldn't tell anyone his secrets. Then managed to drift off into an offer of being his secret lover if I so desired and how he would very much like it. I remained calm and put the note on his desk and looked at him.

" Anything I want if I don't speak of what I know?" I asked, and he nodded.

"You have my word," he mumbled, and I licked my lips.

"I want out," I said, and he arched his brow.

"Out of the Vault?" He asked, and I nodded. "You are born in the Vault, and you will die in the Vault," he said, and I shrugged.

"Then come next meeting, everyone will know about your secret activities," I said, and he grabbed the chair arms and brought his face close to mine.

"Are you a virgin Miss Louise?" He asked me.

"Yes, I am," I replied. "Sorry I'm not a whore like the rest of my classmates," I said not meaning Amata.

"How about we change that?" He asked, and I narrowed my brows.

The door opened, and two officers walked in. I wasn't sure which two they were. The officers grabbed my arms, and the Overseer stepped back, and they pulled me up. My heart was beating calmly, and I wasn't scared of what was happening.

"Let me go," I ordered, but of course the didn't listen.

"Get her on the floor," the Overseer ordered, and the two guards nodded.

I rolled my eyes and quickly jerked my body to the right. The guard on my left lost his balance, and he fell, and the one on my right was thrown off. I twisted and kicked him in his knee, and he released me and fell on his ass, holding his knee.

"Once I get the chance, I will kill you," I growled at the Overseer before walking out.

A few weeks past and the Overseer avoided me again. Amata came over to hang out, more bruises appearing on her body that she thought I didn't notice. I decided to walk her back to her room, which was right across the hall from the Overseer's office.

"Goodnight," I told her and she forced her smile and nodded.

"You too," she said before she closed the door.

I liked Amata; she was the only one who hung out with me despite my eyes. I knew she was creeped out by them, but she was kind enough not to say anything. I hated that the Overseer hit her whenever he pleased. I knocked on his office door.

"Enter," he called, and I opened the door and walked in. He was looking at papers and didn't look up until the door closed. "Are-"

"I'm not going to kill you," I said bluntly and he nodded.

"What do you want then?" He asked, and I sighed.

"I want you to stop hitting Amata," I said, and he sighed.

"I promised not to bother you or your father if you promised not to speak. What are you going to offer me?" He asked, and I looked out the window that overlooked the Atrium.

"I'll have sex with you whenever" I forced out even though it killed me saying it.

"Are you serious?" He asked, and I nodded.

"But," I quickly said. "You have to wait until the bruises heal, and I don't see any more," I said, and he nodded.

"Those demands can be met," he said, and I nodded slowly.

A few weeks past and Amata's bruises healed, and she told me her father stopped hitting her and how she was overjoyed. I was happy she was free from being hit, but I wasn't looking forward to keeping my end of the bargain. Again I decided to walk her back to her room, but the Overseer was hanging outside of his office talking to an officer.

"Night Amata," I said.

"Night Louise," she sid with a genuine smile and she closed her door. The officer left, leaving me with the Overseer.

"Can I speak with you in my office?" The Overseer asked, and I reluctantly nodded. We entered his room, and he walked up to the window and closed the blinds.

"You held up your end of the bargain," I muttered, and he looked at me.

"Yes," he said as he looked at me. "Now it's your turn," he said, and I sighed.

He walked up to me with a smile on his face. He placed his hands on my hips, pulling my lower half against his. He was already hand, and I could feel his member on my thigh. I fought the urge to throw up. He kissed my neck slowly, and I tensed up, and he chuckled softly.

"Wait," I said grabbing his arms and he looked at me.

"What?" He asked impatiently.

"My dad is expecting me home. I'll be free tomorrow, though. Can we do it tomorrow?" I asked, and he sighed.

"Mmm fine," he mumbled, and he slowly released me. "It's best if we don't get caught," he mumbled, and I nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow," I muttered, and he nodded.

I quickly left and hurried back to my room. I entered the room, and my father was sleeping on the couch. I entered the bathroom and threw up in the sink. I spat and turned on the water and grabbed my cup on the counter top. I rinsed out the grossest taste of vomit from my mouth. I turned on the shower to scalding hot and removed my clothes. I took a long shower, scrubbing the spot where his lips touch my neck and where his hands were.

I spent a good long time in the shower before I decided I should try to sleep. I turned off the water and stepped put. I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my body. I grabbed my dirty clothes nad threw them in the laundry basket and walked into my room. I put a clean pair of undergarments then dressed in a gray tank top and shorts.

I laid down and pulled the covers to my cheeks and closed my eyes. My door opened, and the person walked up and sat on the edge of my bed. I kept my eyes closed, and I heard the person sigh.

"I love you, sweetheart," it was my father, and he whispered the words to me. I felt him kiss my forehead before getting up and leaving.

I must've fallen asleep because I woke up to Amata shaking me awake. She was freaking out, talking how my father left the Vault. Saying that her father had Jonas killed because he helped my father out. Saying that her father was searching for me and was going to kill me.

"Well, your father is pretty stupid since he didn't send any guards to my room," I mumbled as I got up.

"Now is no time for jokes," she said through her tears. "Were you not listening to me?" She asked.

"I was," I said, and she sighed.

"You need to leave the Vault before my father has you killed," she said, and I nodded.

"Do you have a plan?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Here," she said taking my Pipboy and plugging her's in. She sent over a 10mm pistol with some ammo and a few bobby pins. "Please don't use the gun unless you absolutely have to," she said, and I nodded.

"Of course Amata," I said.

"There is a secret tunnel in my father's office. You can escape that way," she said, and I nodded.

"Thank you," I said, and she hugged me.

"Be safe," she whispered before letting me go.

"You too," I said before she left.

I went around my room, scanning the items I wanted before leaving. I grabbed my baseball bat and walked out of my room. Ther was an alarm going off and Radroaches ran all over the floor. There was a guard at the end of the hall smashing Roaches, but he was bleeding pretty badly. A Roach bit him behind the knee, and he fell. The Radroaches started ripping his clothing and eating away at his flesh.

I quickly passed by and made my way to the Overseer's office. Butch stopped me, him begging me to save his mother from the Roaches. I agreed to help him and smashed the Roaches. Butch gave me his switchblade and his Tunnel Snake's jacket.

I continued my way to his office, most of the doors were locked up tight. Two of my classmates were shot by two guards. I selected the !0mm from my Pipboy, and it materialized in my hand. I shot the guards down easily thanks to my years of training with my BB gun. I looted the corpses for bullets or anything interesting. I made my way to the Overseer's office but stopped at his room. He and Officer Mack were interrogating Amata.

"I don't know anything," Amata said through her tears. I opened the door, and Amata looked at me.

"Get out Amata," I said calmly, and she quickly ran out.

"Take her out," the Overseer ordered and officer Mack nodded.

He swung his baton at me, but I grabbed it and kicked him hard in the stomach. He fell to his knees, holding his stomach. I kicked off his helmet, aimed my gun and shot him in the head. His body landed with a thump, and his blood pooled out.

"Where are your key and terminal password?" I asked turning my gun to the Overseer.

"I'd rather have you shoot me before I tell you," he said cockily, and I smirked.

"Maybe Amata will be more cooperative," I said, and his eyes widened.

"Here," he pulled the key from his pocket and tossed it to me. "The password is Amata."

"Thanks," I said sarcastically, and I walked out.

I stopped at Amata's room, asking her if she was okay. She assured me she was fine and told me she would meet me at the Vault door. I nodded, walked out and up to the Overseer's office door. I unlocked it with a key and opened the door. I closed and locked the door behind me. I walked up to his terminal and entered in his password. I clicked opening the door, and I turned around. The Overseer's desk slid back, and I walked around to the front.

I ended up at the Vault door after a few tunnels. I plugged in my Pipboy and entered in the Overseer's password and the warning lights turned on. The metal arm reached over, sliding it's three pegs into the holes, locking into place. The arm pulled the rust Vault door open with an ear piercing screech.

"You opened it," Amata said in amazement.

"All thanks to you," I stated with a small smile.

"Here," she said handing me a pair of dark sunglasses. "It's going to be bright out there," she said. I knew it was a nice way of her telling me to hide my eyes.

"You should come with me," I offered.

"It's very tempting, but my place is here," she said, and I nodded.

"I hope things work out," I said, and I put on the sunglasses.

"Good luck out there," she said, and we heard voices in the next room. "Hurry," Amata whispered before running into the adjoining room.

I quickly made my way to the exit of the Vault. The door opened behind me, and I turned around, and a shot rang out. I felt a sharp, hot pain raging in my shoulder and I looked down. Blood was oozing from my shoulder, and I growled in pain. I turned and started running out of the Vault. I made it out and into the rocky tunnel when another shot rang out. I fell nearly face first on the ground, a pain in my right leg. I forced myself up, and I heard the alarm go off and the Vault door close. I pushed myself to my feet and started limping towards the wooden door. A light was shining through the cracks, and I was filled with excitement and relief, but dread and worry soon followed.

I opened the door, and a bright light blinded me. I blinked a few times before my eyes adjusted. The outside world was barren, with dead trees, giant rocks. A burned down town was to my left, and straight ahead was a metal wall with what I assumed was a city inside.

I scanned my pistol into my Pipboy and carefully climbed down the tiny, steep hill. I started limping towards the town, the pain in my leg and shoulder slowly dying down. My right side was coated in my blood, and I started feeling a bit lightheaded from the blood loss.

I made it to the town know as Megaton. The two metal slabs protecting the door slid up, and I stumbled up to the door. I hardly pushed it open before I collapsed onto the dusty ground. I closed my eyes; feeling terribly tired suddenly.

"Awe hell, stay with me miss," a male's voice reached my ears, but I drifted off to sleep.


	2. Awaking

**I still don't own anything.**

My eyelids felt heavy as the slowly opened a bit. My vision was blurry; my head was pounding, and my body felt heavy. I blinked a few times and as my vision cleared a brown ceiling entered my vision. I was on a stretcher; a thin sheet covered my naked body.

There was a wall made from a dirty Byobu from the Prewar times. The room was surprisingly clean despite what I thought when I first took notice of this town. Another thing that struck me odd was why I was naked with just a thin sheet covering me. I looked at my shoulder to see that my wound was stitched and the blood had been cleaned off.

I slowly sat up, holding the sheet to my chest, black dots danced in my vision. I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath. I didn't recall what happened after I opened the door. I looked around and saw my Pipboy and sunglasses on a table next to the stretcher.

"I'm sorry to say, but she passed away shortly after the operation," I heard an elderly man say. He was on the other side of the Byobu.

"Damn, only if I was just a little bit faster," the second man who spoke sounded familiar to me.

"It's not your fault Simms," the first guy said, and I quietly grabbed my Pipboy and put it on.

"Easier said Doc," the man muttered.

I quickly scrolled through my Pipboy and a fresh pair of undergarments materialized in my hand. I stood up and immediately put them on before going back into my Pipboy and clicking on my other Vault Suit. Once it was in my hand I slid it on, my wounds twitching in pain.

"Well her body is still in the back on the stretcher," the Doc mumbled. "Should we bury her or just leave her for the Mole Rats?" The Doc asked as I grabbed my sunglasses.

"Well," Simms sighed. "We don't have a spot to bury her in town. She came from the Vault, right?"

"She was wearing Vault 101 jumpsuit, and those aren't something you can just buy anywhere," the Doc said as I put on my sunglasses.

"Then I'll bury her up by the Vault. I'll recruit a few people to help out. Do you have an idea of how tall she is?"

"She approximately 5'10," the Doc answered, and I walked past the Byobu.

"Alrig-" Simms started but stopped once he saw me.

Simms was dark skin, tall and middle age. He wore a leather duster, brown cargo pants, a brown t-shirt and a sheriff's hat. The Doc was a senior man, dark skinned and around the same height as Simms. The Doc had white hair and a white goatee. Both of them looked surprised to see me up and moving.

"How are you alive?" The Doc asked as he walked up to me. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I died?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Shortly after I stitched up your wounds. Your heart stopped, and I tried to resuscitate you, but you remained dead," the Doc said.

"I feel okay now," I said. "How long was I out for?"

"Well the surgery to remove the bullets took about ten hours, then stitching you up, so you didn't bleed out took about an hour. Ten minutes later, when I was checking your pulse and switching your blood pack your heart stopped. I tried to revive you for around ten minutes, and when I couldn't, I called it." He said, and I nodded.

"So I was out for eleven hours and ten minutes?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"No. I drank for about an hour then went to find Simms which took half an hour. So it was about twelve hours and forty minutes," he said, and I swore under my breath.

"Is something wrong?" Simms asked me, and I sighed.

"I'm looking for someone, and now they have a half a day start," I said, and Simms nodded.

"Who are you looking for?" Simms asked.

"My father," I replied. "He's middle age, he has graying brown hair, and he has a mustache, and he should've been wearing a Vault 101 jumpsuit. His name is James," I said, and Simms was quiet for a second.

"He did come into town, but he spent most of his time in Moriarty Saloon," Simms said.

"He bought some supplies from me, but he didn't say anything about where he was going," the Doc said, and I nodded.

"Thank you for everything. Do I owe you anything for the surgery or the stitches?" I asked Doc, and he shook his head.

"Simms already paid for it," he muttered.

"Thank you, Simms," I said, and he smiled and nodded, "Can I buy some medical supplies before I go?" I asked the Doc.

"Put it on my tab and get her the Wasteland kit," Simms said, and the Doc nodded.

"Um thanks," I said, and Simms smiled.

"No worries," he said as the Doc walked away to his supply cabinet.

"What is this town?" I asked him.

"It's just a quaint little town where we all put up with each other. I'm the Mayor and Sheriff. Moria works up at Craterside Supply. The Brass Lantern is just across the way, and it's the best place to get food. Moriarty is up in his Saloon, keeping the drunks drunk." He said, and I nodded. "Then there are the Children of the Atom who stand around the bomb and talk about it," he said, and I arched my brow.

"There is a bomb in the town?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah. It's about ten feet from the Brass Lantern," he said, and I nodded.

"Is it armed?" I asked, and he sighed.

"Here you go," the Doc said as he walked back in with a decent side medical bag. He handed it to me, and I smiled and thanked him. "You should get something to eat before you go too far."

"I will," I assured him and he nodded.

"Come, I'll pay for your breakfast," Simms said, and I nodded, feeling a bit strange.

We walked out of the Doc's and straight ahead was the Brass Lantern, right next to the walkway to the Doc's office was a two headed cow and a settler and across from the Brass Lantern was the bomb. Simms and I walked up to the Brass Lantern and sat at the bar on the dirty stools.

"Now I know I've never seen you around here before," a lady said as she walked up from the other side of the bar.

She had shoulder length brown hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing a dirty Red Racer jumpsuit. She was smiling at me.

"I'm new in town," I murmured, and she nodded.

"We had a newcomer, but Doc told me she died," she said, and I smiled uneasily.

"That would be me," I said awkwardly, and her eyes widened.

"Oh my," she mumbled shocked. "I'm Jenny Stahl," she said sticking out her hand.

"Louise," I said as I shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you," she said as she released my hand. She seemed a bit shaky, but I brushed it off. "What would you two like to eat?"

"Brahmin steak please," Simms said, and I sighed.

"I'll have that too, please," I said, and she nodded.

She looked up, and her smile slowly faded. I turned my head to see what she was looking at. There was a middle age man wearing leather armor with a Chinese Assualt Rifle on his back. He had a bald spot on the top of his head, and the rest of his hair shaven. He was Hispanic, and his eyes were hazel, and he had a goatee and a beard.

Jenny became a bit shaky, and the man slowly started to walk towards the Brass Lantern. Jenny disappeared into the door, and the man sat down next to me. I averted my gaze, but I could feel his eyes on my body. I didn't understand what I was feeling, but this entire town made me feel hostile.

"Hey baby, where did you come from?" He asked me and I looked at him.

"The Vault," I replied, keeping my voice calm.

"Then you've never been with a real man before," he said with a short laugh. Jenny came back out holding two plates of Brahmin steak.

"Here you go. Would you like anything to drink?" She asked, and I looked at her.

"Two Nuka Colas please," Simms said, and she nodded.

"Anything for you?" She asked the man without actually looking at him.

"Nothing you can give me," he said as he continued to look at me.

"Okay," Jenny said as she turned to the refrigerator that leaned against the wall. She unlocked the door and grabbed two Nuka Colas before closing and relocking the door. She put the two bottled down and walked back into the Brass Lantern.

"So how many people did you sleep with down in that Vault of yours?" The man asked me, and Simms looked over at him.

"Jericho, leave her alone," Simms snapped at him, and he scoffed.

"Whatever," Jericho muttered as he got up.

Jericho left, and I looked over at Simms. He cut into his Brahmin steak, and I looked down at mine. We both ate silently. Once we've finished, he paid Jenny for the meal and bid me a good day.

I decided to go up to Moriarty's Saloon. As I was walking, I saw a senior man with dark skin and grey-white hair. He was looking at a piece of paper and had a pencil tucked behind his ear. He was wearing a dirty blue jumpsuit.

"Is everything alright, sir?" I asked him and he looked over at me.

"Huh? Yeah, I guess. Our pumps aren't as reliable as they should be. I think there are about three leaks in the pimps. Will you please take a look around to see if you can fix them? I'll pay you for fixing them if you do," he said, and I smiled.

"I will take a look," I assured him and he nodded and went back to looking at his paper.

I continued on my way to the Saloon. I made it to the Saloon, and I opened the door. A rotting human was cleaning the bar and behind him was two people arguing. One of them was a senior man with shoulder length light gray hair, blue eyes, and a bushy goatee. The other was a girl. She had short dirty blond hair and blue eyes. She dressed like a whore. The man she was arguing with looked at me for a second before turning back to her.

There was only one man at the bar. He dressed in a white t-shirt and gray cargo pants. To my left was a girl with blond hair that was pulled up into a ponytail and blue eyes. Behind her, sitting in a chair was a senior man. He wore a white business suit, white fedora, and sunglasses. He had a glass of whiskey in his hand, and I could feel him looking at me.

I sat down at the bar, and the rotten human looked at me. He walked up to me, and he had faded blue eyes and patches of brown hair. He was wearing a dirty white shirt and dirty cargo pants. He was the only person thus far that didn't just irritate me just by looking at him. Maybe because he was like, different.

"What can I get you smooth skin?" He asked me, his voice hoarse.

"No thank you, sir," I said politely, and he smiled softly. "Well, I do wish to bother you with a small question."

"What's on your mind?" He asked me.

"I was wondering if you saw someone. He's middle-aged, graying brown hair, a mustache, he's tall. His name is James, and he should've been wearing a Vault 101 jumpsuit. Have you seen him?" I asked him, and he sighed.

"There was a man like that here, but you would need to speak with the owner of the Saloon, Moriarty," he answered, and I nodded.

"Thank you," I said with a small smile. "I'm Louise," I said holding out my hand.

"Gob," he said shaking my hand.

"Pleasure to meet you," I said, and he nodded, and we released hands.

"Nice to me you. Can I get you anything?" He asked, and I sighed.

"Um, no thanks. I'll just wait until Moriarty is free," I said with a small smile, and he nodded.

He went back to cleaning up the bar top. Moriarty was still hush arguing with the girl, and I sighed softly. I ran my finger over the bar softly, and I heard someone sit next to me. Even though I went through the things that I did, it didn't bother me in the slightest. Part of me didn't even want to find my father, and the half of me that did was split into two. One part wanted me to find him just to scream at him for leaving me in the hell hole all alone, and the other part missed him and just wanted him back.

"May I buy you a drink?" A calm voice reached my ears. I looked up to see the senior man in the white suit sitting next to me.

"Are you talking to me?" I asked him and he chuckled softly.

"Well you are the only beautiful woman in the Saloon," he said with a smile, and I turned to see the blond haired girl was gone.

"I'm not much of a drinker," I mumbled as I looked back at him.

"Well, you sound like you could use one. You seem to have a lot on your beautiful mind. Would you like to speak about it?" He asked.

I looked up to where Moriarty was arguing with the girl, and they were no longer there. The girl was leaning against the wall off to the right; Jericho was sitting on the right side of the bar looking, and the person that was there earlier was now gone. Moriarty was cleaning glass, standing behind the bar and Gob was washing dishes in the back.

"It's nothing special," I replied slowly, slightly confused.

"You seem distressed," he said worriedly as he took my hand in his.

"How long have I've been sitting here?" I asked him, and he sighed.

"Well I left around one in the afternoon, and I came back for my ten o'clock drink and you here when I got here, and I've been here for about an hour," he answered, but for me, it felt like thirty seconds. My stomach rumbled softly, and he smiled softly. "You seem to be hungry, let me buy you dinner down at the Brass Lantern," he offered, and I was quite annoyed with people.

"Sure," I replied softly and he stood up, keeping my hand in his.

I stood up, and I could feel Jericho staring at us. I heard Jericho's feet touch the ground as the suited guy reached for the door. Jericho took a quick pace as he approached us. Mister Burke opened the door, and I felt Jericho's hand wrap around my arm. The suited man looked at Jericho, and I could feel the anger radiating off him. Moriarty chuckled, and I felt something slowly snapping inside of me.

"Now hold up," Jericho said, and the man's hand slipped from mine.

"May I help you?" The man asked, and Jericho chuckled.

"Not you old man, but this beautiful thing can," he said.

It was like an electric rush like a dam finally broke. I gritted my teeth before pulling my arm away from Jericho. I had a want, a need for bloodshed. I couldn't explain the way it tickled my bones, the way the thought of Jericho's blood pooled on the floor made my heart beat faster than a nuclear blast. I felt a darkness start from the deep inside of me, slowly radiating out, spreading over my body like the plague.

"Why would she want to spend her time with a Neanderthal?" The man asked Jericho, and he chuckled.

"At least when I fuck her I won't break my hip," Jericho snapped back.

Before I realized what happened my fist crushed into Jericho's face, making him stumble back and fall backward into the bar. His head slumped downward and, I could hear him groaning in pain. Moriarty was smiling and looking at me, the girl dressed as a whore was rushing to his side, and Gob seemed pleased with what I had done. But I wanted more. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, and lock up this untold darkness. Nova reached him, calling him baby, and holding his face softly.

"Would ya look at that," Moriarty said, and I looked at him. He walked around the bar and started to approach me. "When I first met'cha I thought you wouldn't amount to anything," he said, his voice thick with the roots of the Irish.

"I'm sorry?" I asked not remembering ever talking to him.

"Back when you were a wee little baby," he said, and he smirked. "Your father never told you."

"No, he was pretty good at keeping his secrets," I replied. "So this was before we were locked away in the Vault?" I asked him and he smiled.

"So you know you weren't born and that metal hole?" He asked, and I nodded.

"I'm not a fool Colin," I said, and he chuckled.

"But you make the boys around here act like fools," he said looking back at Jericho then at the suited man. "I figured you'd go up ugly. You were a fat little slime ball," he joked, and I chuckled.

"Explains what happened to you," I said, and he laughed.

"I like ya kid. Come back, and we'll talk about your father," he said, and I nodded.

"Thank you," I said, and he nodded and walked away. I turned to the suited man. "Are you still interested in dinner?" I asked him and he smiled.

"Of course dear," he answered, offering me his hand.

I smiled and I took it, learning now how to play the game.


	3. Confusion

It was the next morning, and I was up at Craterside Supply, waiting for the owner to come down. The mercenary was Hispanic with dark brown hair with matching eyes. He wore leather armor and had a Chinese Assult Rifle on his back. He was watching every little move I made as I walked around the small store space.

Last night was still fresh in my mind. The suited man, Mister Burke; I later found his name, took me to eat at the Brass Lantern. As we ate, he continued to drink, and his tongue became loose. He drunkenly flirted with me, told me why he was in town, and nearly fell out of his seat he ended up so drunk. After I learned what I wanted to from his loose tongue, (and with a bit of flirting) I had to take him home because he was too drunk to walk by himself. The sun was starting to rise when I helped him to his cozy Megaton home.

From the front door, you immediately were in the kitchen/dining room area. Straight ahead was the bedroom and off of that, to the left, was the bathroom with a dirty green blanket for a door. I set him down on his bed, and he chuckled. I saw the Fusion Pulse Charge on his desk in his room. My heart started beating faster, and the darkness in my soul began rushing through my veins. I slowly walked up to the Pulse Charge and my hand grabbed hold of it. I could hear the blood rushing through my veins as I held onto the device.

I turned back to see he was passed out and I just stared at the Pulse Charge. I thought long and hard about what was going on within myself. I scanned the Pulse Charge into my Pipboy and found an empty piece of paper and a pencil. I wrote Mister Burke a quick note telling him that I accepted his offer he spoke of last night.

"Why hello!" I higher pitch voice reached my ears, ripping me away from my thoughts.

"Hello?" I asked as I turned around.

The girl that stood there with a giant smile on her face, and had dyed red hair that was pulled into a messy bun. Her eyes were a bright green and held nothing but happiness. She wore a dirty blue jumpsuit and seemed pleased to see a new face.

"Welcome to Craterside Supply," she said, and I forced a smile.

"Thank you. I was wondering if you had any supplies that you would be able to sell me and I have things to sell to you," I said, and she nodded happily.

"But first, you're the girl from the Vault right?" She asked, and I nodded. "Can I ask you a few questions?"

"Sure," I said, and she grabbed a chair for me to sit on.

I sat down, and she grabbed a pencil and a clipboard that had papers attached to it. She sat across from me. She thumbed through the papers, staring at them with an intensity that unsettled me. She moved a few of them around and looked up at me and smiled.

"What was life in the Vault?" She asked and I tilted my head to the right. Should I speak the truth?

I started from the beginning, where everyone bullied me but a couple of people. I told her how Amata was my only friend, growing up and how much I hated being there. I told her about the corrupt Overseer and his many corrupted Officers and how they slept with many of my classmates. I told her how when I was older I went exploring around, looking for the exit of the metal hell, and back into the Wasteland where I was actually born.

I told her how the Overseer caught me one night. I told her about his sexual attacks towards me. I told her how he would beat his daughter, Amata, and how I accepted a deal to help save Amata from her father. I didn't tell her what the deal was, but I told her that my father left before I had to keep my end of the bargain. I told her how I had to escape before he had me killed. I told her how I was shot twice and how I felt when I stepped outside for the first time.

"That is fascinating," she mumbled as she took notes.

"I guess," I muttered and she looked at me.

"Where were you shot at?" She asked me.

"Once in my right shoulder and my right thigh," I answered, and she wrote it down.

"That is fascinating. How do you like it out here?" She asked.

"It's alright from what I've experienced but I've only been in Megaton," I answered and she nodded then her face lit up.

"I have some stuff I needs to be done for the book if you want to help. I'll pay you for your work of course," she said, and I sighed.

"I guess," I answered even though I didn't want to.

"Well for the first chapter I have three things that needs to be done.

"Those are?" I asked.

"I need to test the effects of Radiation, I need to know about the playground structure up at Minefield, and the food at Super Duper Mart," she said, and I nodded.

"How much Radiation?" I asked her.

"Well the least amount I need is 200, but 600 would be the best," she said.

"I'll start with that," I said, and she nodded.

"I have a small gift for you," she said as she got up.

She got me a book titled The Wild Wasteland and explained that in the book were all the different known Mutated creatures and weapons. I thanked her, and she smiled. We did some trading, and she gave me an armored Vault 101 suit that she made herself. I bought leather armor and thanked her for everything, and I left.

I walked up to the girl's bathroom. I changed into my leather armor and scanned it into my Pipboy. I saw my reflection in the mirror. My moon pale skin was covered in dust and a bit grimy. My blood red hair was untamed, puffy and dirty. I took off my sunglasses. I had slightly dark bags under my eyes from the lack of sleep. I put my glasses back and quickly left the bathroom, bumping into someone hard.

"Sorry," we said in unison, and I looked at him.

"It's quite fine dear," Mister Burke said with a small smile. "I'm happy to have run into you. I wanted to apologize for my drunken behavior last night. It was quite rude for me to act that way in front of a beautiful lady like yourself," he said, and I smiled.

"It's quite alright," I said. "You're a good man," I said, and he laughed softly.

"I read the letter you left me," he lowered his voice. "Are you sure about that?"

"I do have a few conditions," I said, and he nodded.

"Of course dear," he said.

"One, I would enjoy 500 hundred more caps," I whispered in his ear as I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"That can be arranged," he whispered a bit unnerved.

"And I want to bring Gob with me," I said.

"Why do you want to bring him?" Mister Burke asked, and I smiled.

"Don't worry about that," I said lightly tapping his cheek. "Do we have a deal?"

"I guess," he said as he placed his hands on my hips.

"You don't seem jubilant," I said, and he shrugged.

"I don't want to bring a filthy beast like Gob into Tenpenny's Tower," he said, and I smacked him hard across his face. He stumbled, and he looked at me shocked.

"Filthy beast," I spat, my voice thick with venom.

I quickly turned away and walked away from him, still fuming with anger. I walked down to the bomb, removing my boots before stepping into the water. My Pipboy Geiger Counter started ticking. I turned off the noise and walked closer to the bomb. I removed a panel and found the base of the Nuclear Energy. I watched as my Radiation started rising quickly.

My body started feeling heavy and hot the more the number climbed. It reached 600, and I put the panel back up, feeling so sick to my stomach that I wanted to die. I forced my way back to Moira, nearly falling face first once I got there. She quickly fixed me up, but she looked a bit nervous.

"Hey," she said slowly.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her, and she sighed.

"There may have been a small, little, tiny mutation," she said. "It appears now that if you break a bone or sprain something and if you're irritated enough, the radiation will speed up your healing," she said, and I nodded.

"So nothing major," I said, and she nodded.

"Here," she gave me a decent size bag of medical equipment.

I had Moira show me where the Super Duper Mart was along with Minefield. I left her shop and decided to go up and talk to Moriarty before I left and had to deal with this book bullshit. I entered the Saloon, seeing Mister Burke sitting up at the bar. He turned his head, and he had a bruise where I smacked him.

"Well look who it is," Colin said, and he smiled. "There is the tough little girlie from the Vault," he said as he walked up to me. "What can I get for you?" He asked as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"I just had a few questions," I said, and he nodded.

"Anything for you," he said, and I smiled softly. "Come sit," he said ushering me to the bar stool.

"I wanted to know more about the area around Megaton," I whispered as he sat down.

"I can't tell you much. There are a lot of things out there that will kill you if you aren't ready to fight back."

We talked for about quite some time, and I could feel Mister Burke's eyes on me. I laughed along with Colin, making Nova; his whore, angry. Once we finished talking, I looked at Gob who smiled softly at me, and I smiled at him. I waved and got up and walked out. I heard someone following me, and I turned to see it was Mister Burke. He grabbed my arm, pulling me along. He walked me to his Megaton home, shoved me inside and closed the door. He slowly turned to me, and he glared at me.

"What?" I asked him and he walked up to me.

"I will forgive you for hitting me," he said, forcing his voice to be calm.

"Maybe you shouldn't be such a bigot," I said, and he roughly grabbed my arms and shoved me against the wall. A sharp pain shot through my shoulders.

"You really need to learn your limits child," he whispered. "You aren't as tough as you think you are."

"Do you honestly think I'm scared of someone like you?" I asked him.

"You should be dear," he whispered, and I laughed.

"You really think you're tough shit, huh?" I asked him.

I shoved him off of me, and he fell on his ass. He looked up at me, and I was still laughing at his attempt to scare me. He growled and quickly stood up. My laughter died down into fits of chuckles then ceased to exist.

"You really shouldn't use foul language," he said.

"I enjoyed your company Mister Burke. However, I think it's time I got rid of you," I said, and he glared at me.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" He asked, and I chuckled.

"I'll tell Simms about the Fusion Pulse Charge that you rigged into the bomb," I said, and he chuckled.

"Oh really?" He asked, and I nodded.

He pulled out his silenced 10mm Pistol. This was an oh shit moment. I completely forgot he had a weapon on his person. I kept my smirk on my face. My heart wasn't beating hard even though I was seconds away from death.

"Are you really going to shoot me, Mister Burke?" I asked, trying to bring out some flirt in my voice. I didn't want to die yet.

"If you are a danger to my plan, yes," he answered, and I giggled softly.

I took small steps towards him; his grip loosened a bit. I grabbed his hand that held the gun and placed my other on his shoulder. I slowly had him lower his weapon and brought my other hand to his shoulder. I brought my lips to his ear.

"Do we have a deal, Mister Burke?" I asked him softly.

"No more games Miss Louise," he said. "But we do have a deal," he whispered.

"Good," I said tapping his cheek lightly with my palm.

"Why do you enjoy the Mutants so much?" He asked me, and I sighed.

"If I trust you, then I'll tell you," I answered, and I turned to leave.

"When do you think you're going to rig the bomb?" He asked me and I looked at him.

"I just have a small little something to do for Moira," I said, and I walked out.

One Month Later

"This is fucking bullshit!" I yelled out of pain.

I had done everything Moira as asked me to do but on the last quest; putting the device into the Mirelurk's eggs, I broke my ankle trying to run from the horde of Mirelurks. I was back in Megaton, in the Doc's office as he and Moira were fixing me up. A caravan offered to take me back to Megaton since they were heading there anyways. Moira was jotting things down on a piece of paper, tell the Doc to irradiate me to see if my mutation would work. The Doc ignored her and patched up my legs and stitched up the wounds I had lazily wrapped up.

"You're very clumsy," he muttered, and I glared at him. I was in no mood to deal with this. "Here," he injected me with some Med-X, near my broken ankle. Soon after that, my body felt weightless, and the pain dulled down.

"I'll grab some Stimpaks for you," Moira said she walked away.

"You got hurt helping her?" He whispered.

"Yep," I replied lazily.

"Mirelurks?" He asked looking at my cuts.

"Yep," I replied with a small chuckle. "Thanks for letting me keep my glasses."

"I figured you would want them on," he said, and this time my heart started racing.

"Do you know?" I asked him and he chuckled.

"Of course I do," he said, and I sighed. "I won't tell anyone yourself."

"Thank you," I whispered, and Moira came back with a couple of Stimpaks.

"Here you go!" She chirped whilst handing the Stimpaks to the Doc.

He injected one Stimpak in my broken ankle and the other one near my heart so the medicine would flow through my body faster. My eyelids felt heavy, and I suddenly felt drained. I closed my eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

(Dream)

 _It was scorching, and the sun was high in the sky, and the Wasteland looked a but more like a dessert. I was dressed in leather armor, scanning the horizon. I could see a... dinosaur? It stood off in the distance. I turned to see a stranger standing behind me._

 _He was tall, and well built, and handsome. He wore a red beret, sunglasses leather armor and had held a custom Sniper Rifle in his tanned hands._

 _"You don't want to go back there. Why?" I asked him and he looked at me._

 _"Reasons," he answered._

 _"Then we won't go there. We'll turn and go back to Nipton," I said, and he shrugged._

 _"Doesn't matter," he muttered._

 _"Bo-"_

I jumped awake, a thin line of sweat covered my body. I was still in the Doc's place, but I was on a bed, and my sunglasses were on the floor next to the bed. I thought long and hard about my dream. I was stuck on who that man was. Bo? It felt as if there was more to his name that I was able to get out before I woke.

I put on my sunglasses and swung my legs over, careful not to smack my bad ankle off the floor. I grabbed the crutches that were on the ground next to my bed and placed them on the bed. I scrolled through my Pipboy and clicked on the other suit of leather armor that I had. It materialized in my hand, and I carefully got dressed. I got myself situated with the crunches and made my way to the back where the doc was.

"Hey," I said, and he turned to face me.

"I'm glad you're up and moving. You've been out for a couple of days," he said, and I nodded.

"Then I should go eat," I said, and he nodded.

"Yes, you should," he said, and I nodded.

"Thanks again," I said, and he nodded.

I made my way to the Brass Lantern and sat down, leaning the crutches against the bar. Someone sat next to me, and I turned to see who it was. It was Jericho, and he just looked at me. His eyes trailed down to my body to my broken ankle.

"What happened to you?" He asked, and I shrugged.

"I broke it because I was being attacked by Mirelurks," I answered him.

"What can I get you?" Jenny asked me and I looked at her.

"Brahmin steak and a Nuka-Cola," I said, and she nodded.

"Beer," Jericho said, and she nodded and walked into the Brass Lantern.

"Something as easy as that?" He asked me and I turned my head.

"There were at least twenty of them, and I didn't harm one of them."

"Do you want a prize?" He asked as he brought his face closer to mine.

"What makes you think you're tough shit?" I asked him.

"I was a Raider before I settled down here. I was mutilating people for fun," he whispered.

"Coming from that's rich since I kicked your ass," I whispered, and he chuckled.

Without noticing his face was close, out noses nearly touching. I could feel his warm breath against my cheeks. HIs eyes were staring, trying to see past my sunglasses. I felt a bit weird. My head started pounding. In a blurry motion, I could see Jericho, pinning Jenny against a wall, his hand covering her mouth. She was crying, and he was tugging at her clothes. He stopped suddenly and released her, and said he couldn't do it and walked away.

"You got lucky," his voice pulled me out of the strange sensation.

"You're not a bastard anymore," I said, and he arched his brow.

"Why do you think that?" He asked.

"I have a feeling."

"Maybe I just need a small spark," he said, and he pressed his lips against mine. His lips tasted like cigarettes and whiskey. I quickly pulled away.

"No thanks," I said, and he sighed.

Jenny came out and gave us our order, and I paid her for my stuff and Jericho paid for his beer. I popped my Nuka-Cola open and took a swig. He didn't say anything else and just drank his beer. I ate my food and drank my drink and got up, getting my crutches in place.

"Louise," I heard Mister Burke say, and I turned my head.

He was standing in his doorway. He looked at me, and he motioned for me to come over to him. I made my way up to him. He beckoned me to get inside and I did. He closed the door behind me.

"Yes?" I asked him, and he put his hand on the back of his chair.

"Sit," he whispered, and I sat down. "Are you okay?" He asked me, and I nodded. "Here," he grabbed another chair and hoisted my leg up and gently placed it on the seat of the chair.

"I'm all right," I said, and he nodded.

He looked a bit different than normal. His suit was a bit wrinkled, and his buttons weren't aligned.

"I've been worried about you," he said pulling up another chair and sat next to me.

"I'm all right," I said, and he nodded.

"Are you sure?" He asked me, and he brought his face closer.

"I'm all right," I repeated for the third time.

He cupped my cheek and rubbed his thumb back and forth. I didn't feel strange, but I didn't want to be with him like that. Before I could stop him, he pressed his lips against mine. I went to push him away, but he was just as resilient.


	4. Rivet City?

_Two Years Later_

It's been two years since I left the 'wonderous' life of Vault 101, and was set free in the Capital Wasteland. I was sitting in a chair, on my terrace at Tenpenny Tower. A bottle of whiskey in one hand, my other patted my dog's back gently. The moon was high in the sky; its bright light hiding the far away suns glow. I took another swig from my whiskey bottle, clinging the bottom of the bottle against the arm of my chair. Two damn years, running around, trying to figure out where my father went and got nowhere. My next lead takes me all the way out to Rivet City, but that was possibly a week walk if everything went smoothly and I couldn't afford another life-threatening injury. I rubbed my chest, able to feel one of the fresh scars through my t-shirt.

I've been through much in two short years I've been in the Capital Wasteland. I let out a long sigh, Dogmeat looked up at me and barked. I looked at him, and he stuck out his tongue, wagged his tail, and his two different colored eyes stared at me. I rubbed his ear, and he growled happily. I took another swig, and he barked at me, and I lowered the bottle, and he stuck his tongue back out.

"I can't drink?" I asked him and he barked at me. "Alright boy," I said screwing the lid back on.

I stood up and walked up to the ledge, placing my hand on the rail. I flung the bottle as far as I could, clearing the wall that surrounded the Tower. Dogmeat walked up to me, nudged me with his head and looked back at the doors. I smiled softly and looked at my Pipboy. It was shortly after midnight. I let out one more sigh before turning on my heels and began walking towards the door.

"Out for a night glimpse?" A calm voice asked, and I stopped in my tracks.

"Just a short one. Dogmeat is tired," I said turning to face him.

He wasn't in his usual attire, which wasn't a surprise. He was in his white and blue stripped pajamas and sleeping cap.

"How are you holding up Miss Louise?" He asked me and I faked a smile.

"I honestly don't know any more Mister Burke," I said, and he nodded.

"Life in the Wasteland is hard," he said, and I chuckled.

"Yeah, and you and Seth haven't helped much," I said, my voice a bit shaky.

Before he could say anything I opened my terrace door and Dogmeat and I stepped in. I closed the door behind me, and Godfrey floated up to me. He didn't say anything. I walked past him and walked up to my bed and sat down. Dogmeat jumped up and laid on the opposite end of the bed. I laid down and stared up at the ceiling.

I replayed my life in my mind, trying to piece together everything and figure out everything. Dogmeat started twitching and whimpering in his sleep, and I looked at him. He slowly stopped moving, and I rubbed his back softly so I wouldn't wake him. I smiled softly as a tear rolled down my temple and into my hair.

"I'll be right back boy," I whispered and I quietly stood up.

I stripped out of my clothing and put on my sleepwear. I walked into my bathroom, brushed my teeth and my long, blood red without looking in the mirror. I didn't wish to see what I looked like; maybe I just couldn't bare to see the monster I was. I put my brush down and turned around and walked back into my room. Dogmeat was still sleeping on the bed, and I sat back down and laid next to him.

He woke up, licked my cheek and laid his head back down and fell back asleep. I looked at my Pipboy, seeing that it was nearing two in the morning. I sighed, closed my eyes and listened to Dogmeat breathing softly. I tried to fall asleep butI heard a man's voice. It was husky, human and profound, almost like he was a soldier of some sort. I could only make out faint words like 'Synth,' or 'Knight,' and that was all.

I could partially see his face, from what I could tell he had a trimmed mustache that connected to his facial hair and his goatee of sorts, and it was black, matching his short hair. His face was blurry, and he was wearing metal armor with a symbol of some sorts.

I jumped awake, unaware I was sleeping. Dogmeat jumped up and looked at me. I could feel a cold sweat covering my body; my throat was dry and my body sticky. I looked at my Pipboy, seeing it was just after three in the morning and I sighed. I sat up, and Dogmeat wagged his tail, and I patted his head.

"I'm getting in the shower. Go back to sleep boy," I said, and he whimpered. "I'll be all right," I said before kissing his head.

I got up and walked into my bathroom. I stripped away my sweaty clothing and my Pipboy and filled my bath up with hot water, deciding off of the shower. I waited till it was full and sunk, so my nose barely touched the water's top. I heard Dogmeat sneak himself into the bathroom and lay next to the tub. I knew he fell asleep shortly after and I relaxed into the bath and closed my eyes.

"Hey mom," a soft whisper reached my ears, and I opened my eyes.

I turned my head to see his back towards me. He dressed in his leather armor, his sniper on his back, .44 Scoped Pistol on his hip, and a machete on his left leg. His hair was comb over, black and his skin was tanned. He also had a Pipboy on his left arm which he never explained how he achieved to get it.

"What time is it?" I asked him and he looked down at his Pipboy.

"Nearing five in the morning. I bought supplies last night if you wanted to make our way to Rivet City today," he said, and I got up, and Dogmeat growled, and I grabbed my towel.

Dogmeat got up, and I stepped out of the bath and wrapped my towel around my body and pulled the plug. Dogmeat walked past him, and I grabbed my Pipboy and stepped past him. He sighed and walked towards the door to leave my room but stopped. He turned to look at me, and I looked into his blue eyes.

"What, Seth?" I asked him, and he sighed.

"Mister Burke told me what you said to him last night," he said, and I rolled my eyes.

"And?" I asked him.

"If we are such a bother then why keep us around? You already made it clear you hate humans," he said, and I chuckled.

"Because you're a deadly shot and Mister Burke knows how to sweet talk the ladies because I can't sweet talk all of them," I said, and he chuckled.

"You're twisted; you know that?" He asked.

"I'm twisted?" I asked him.

"Yeah. You keep around two men who tried to have their way with you," he nearly yelled.

"And how exactly did that end, Seth?" I asked him, and he sighed.

"You kicked our asses. And Louise, I am sorry for what I tried," he said walking up to me. "I shouldn't have done it, and there is no excuse I can use to explain what I did. But really, watch Mister Burke carefully. Please?" He asked as he put his hands on my shoulders.

"You were drugged out of your mind Seth. It wasn't even you at that point because I knew you'd never do it. And I plan on watching Mister Burke. He was sober when he tried something-"

"And you were crippled," he cut me off. "I wish I could take it back Louise. I really do, Do you hate me?" His eyes were tearing up, and I sighed and looked away.

He fell to his knees, putting his hands on my hips, his head on my knee, and cried silently. He was a very strange man. Always shifting from rage, to regret and self-hatred and depending on the circumstances, he ended up crying. Doc Church informed me; when he was alive, that is, the Seth was an obsessive psycho. If he ever attaches to something, he has a hard time letting go.

I patted his head, slightly annoyed with him, but it wasn't completely his fault. I didn't like humans even though I was one.

"I'm so sorry mom," he whispered through his quiet sobs.

"It's fine," I muttered. "Now leave me to get dressed," I said, and he nodded his head slightly.

"I'll do anything for you," Seth whispered before standing up.

He wiped away his tears and nodded again. He walked out of my room, and I unwrapped my towel and threw it on my footlocker. I walked up to my wardrobe and opened it up. I grabbed my leather armor and a fresh pair of under attire. I got dressed quickly, threw my hair into a ponytail and put my Pipboy on my left arm. I walked up to my safe and unlocked it and pulled out my custom made 10mm Pistol that shot Plasma 10mm rounds.

I strapped it to my hip, stepped up to my custom built Sniper Rifle that I had leaning against the doorway to the bathroom. I grabbed my Serrated Machete off of the table and strapped it to my left leg. I grabbed my combat knife from my Bobblehead stand and slid it in my boot.

I went to open my door, but I stopped myself from twisting the handle. I turned around and grabbed my dark shades off of my bedside table and put them on. I walked out of my room, Dogmeat following close behind me. Seth, Fawkes, and Mister Burke would be in the Cafe Beau Monde, waiting for Dogmeat and me. I walked into the elevator, clicked the only working button, making a small reminder to find a way to fix it. The elevator made a rough stopped, dinged and opened its doors and we stepped out. We walked to the Cafe, hearing Mister Burke and Seth arguing and Fawkes trying to shut them up.

"Hey!" I snapped, and the three of them looked at me. The ghoul residents in the Cafe looked at me, and I sighed. "Sorry about that," I said to them, and they laughed.

"It's all right dear. After all, you did you allow us in," a female ghoul said, her voice hoarse.

"Good morning," Fawkes said, and I sat down at the table next to them.

"Morning Fawkes," I said as Dogmeat sat beside my chair.

"How did you sleep?" He asked me, and I look up at him.

"I didn't sleep much," I replied.

"You really should take care of yourself, dear," Mister Burke said, and I rolled my eyes.

A male ghoul walked up to us.

"What would you like?" He asked us.

"Two Brahmin Steaks and one water and one Nuka Cola please," I said, and he nodded.

"Anything for you guys?" He asked looking at the others.

"One Brahmin Steak and a Nuka please," Seth said, and the ghoul nodded.

"Noodles and water please," Mister Burke said.

"I already ate," Fawkes said, and the ghoul nodded.

"It'll be a ten-minute wait," he said, and we nodded.

"Thanks," I said, and he walked up to the prepping station.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Seth asked me, and I looked over at him.

"It wasn't as much as a nightmare but was a bit weird," I said.

"Ever since you went into the Pitt, and since Tobar removed a piece of your brain you've different," Seth mumbled.

"Don't forget the aliens," Mister Burke muttered.

"I'm all right," I said.

"I'm just worried about you is all. I know that it's been a bit rough for you," Seth said, and I rolled my eyes.

"How are your radiation levels?" Mister Burke asked, and I felt something starting to snap inside of me.

"I'm fine," I snapped at them.

We sat in quiet for the remaining time. Once our food came, I cut up one of the Brahmin Steaks and made sure to removed any bones and placed the plate down for Dogmeat. I emptied the purified water into a small bowl and set it down for him to drink. I ate my food and took occasional drinks of my Nuka-Cola.

Once we all finished eating, we paid for our meals, and we got up. We walked out of Tenpenny Tower and started our long journey to Rivet City. We decided to go towards Robco, then towards Fort Independence, then on the road near the Sewer Waystation and followed the road across the bridge. We stayed along the water's edge and made our way to Rivet City. We had to find some easy to kill Wasteland creatures such as Mole Rats, Boatflies, and the occasional rabid dogs. We were able to take shelter in random, empty buildings along the way during the nighttime, taking shifts to watch the night. As we crossed the bridge, we had to fight off Raiders, Super Mutants, Mirelurks, and the Talon Company asshats.

Luckily for us, none of us got hurt. Well, Mister Burke sprained his wrist, but that was his own doing. Granted I didn't stop him from doing so.

"I'm tired," Seth mumbled, and we could see Rivet City from the Super Mutant Bonfire that we cleared out.

"We move in less than an hour," I said sitting down on the ground, placing my Sniper next to me, careful not to get dirt in the barrel.

"Great," Seth mumbled as he sat on a log.

I scrolled through my Pipboy, clicking on a bottle of purified water. It materialized in my hand, and I opened it up. I grabbed a helmet and poured some water into it and held it so Dogmeat could drink out of it. He lapped it up and laid next to me, resting his head on my lap. I patted his head and took another drink from the bottled water. I closed the lid and scrolled through my Pipboy and clicked on my wrapped two packs of Mole Rat meat. It materialized in my hand, and I tapped Dogmeat. He got up; I grabbed my Sniper with my free hand and walked up to the fire pit and sat down on a concrete cylinder. I placed my Sniper down and grabbed my Serrated Machete and placed the blade in the burning fire to kill off whatever was living on it. After a few minutes, I pulled it out and carefully slid the two sets Mole Rat meat onto it and held the meat in close to the fire to cook them. Once it was done, I took it away and allowed it to cool off. I pulled one of them off and gave it to Fawkes and Dogmeat, and I shared the other.

Once we all were done eating and drink the sun was starting to set. We grabbed out gear and started walking towards Rivet City. We found the torn down building that led up to the bridge that resulted in Rivet City. We walked up the stairs and up tp the intercom. I pressed the button.

"Swing the bridge over," I said and released the button.

"Why are you here?" A sassy man asked me and I pressed the button.

"I'm just looking for supplies. Nothing bad is going to happen. I'll even hand over my weapons if you so please," I said and I released the button again.

"What's your name, Miss?" He asked.

"Louise," I replied.

"Who all is with you?" He asked.

"Two males, Mister Burke, and Seth. One friendly Super Mutant named Fawkes, one dog and me," I said.

"A friendly Super Mutant?" He asked, and I sighed.

"Yes, a friendly Super Mutant. Will you please let us in?" I growled, and he chuckled.

"Let me swing the bridge over Miss Louise. Doc Li is waiting for you," he said, and I looked at my group.


	5. Dad

Doctor Li, Madison was around my father's age, shorter than me with dark hair and dark brown eyes. She was shocked to see me, asking me how I was holding up, asking me to remove my glasses, taking some of my blood and just downright bugged me. I finally snapped and asked where my father was. She told me the last place she saw him was at the Jefferson Memorial, a day's walk if anything didn't ambush us. She warned us that there might be Super Mutants lurking around there and wished us some luck before we left.

I was able to rent a room. Seth and Mister Burke were deemed the bed; Fawkes got the couch and Dogmeat, and I decided to make our way to Jefferson without telling the others. We walked across the bridge and down the stairs and started walking back towards the Mutant's camp that was still bare, and up towards Pirate Pely and turned southwards and started walking down the bridge towards the Memorial.

I found a nice look advantage point and laid down, positioning my Sniper against my body. I removed my sunglasses, looked through the scope, using the faint moonlight to guide me. I could make out at least four Super Mutants, but I knew there would be at least three or four more outside, most likely further down, and there would be at least ten inside. I took a deep breath in to calm my nerves. I fire my first shot, a loud rang cried out, and the Super Mutant fell dead. I squeezed the trigger three more times, dropping the others. Three more came running to see what was going on and I chuckled. I shot them down quickly and waited a few minutes, but no others came. I scanned my Sniper into my Pipboy and grabbed my custom 10mm Pistol from my hip and put my sunglasses back on.

I crouched and quickly made my way up, Dogmeat quietly moving next to me. I looked around, walking up the platform, not seeing any more Mutants. I sighed and walked up to the dead Mutants and removed the caps and ammo supplies they had on them. I walked up to the door, and I grabbed the cold handle. I felt my body tense up. I was, for the first time I was scared. Scared that I was going to walk in there, and see my father ripped apart. I swallowed hard, my heart beating against my chest. Dogmeat nudged me with his head, and I looked down at him.

"I know," I whispered.

I slowly turned the handle and slowly opened the door just enough to poke my head in. There was a Super Mutant just down the hall. I laid down, took aim and fire. My 10mm was silenced. The bullet hit the Super Mutant in the head, and he fell.

"Good work soldier," the voice belonging to the man in my dream said, and I quickly sat up and looked around.

It was just Dogmeat and me. My body felt incredibly hot even though it was a chilly night. I shook my head, trying to regain myself. I sighed and wiped the sweat from my forehead. I sighed and slid inside, holding the door open, so Dogmeat to slip inside.

We pushed down the hallway and came to an intersection. Straight forward and left was a no go and to my right was a right was a room, and I could hear Super Mutants walking around. I didn't want to throw a grenade and destroy anything just in case there was something of importance in there.

I peeked around the corner and saw two Super Mutants standing with Assualt Rifles in their hands. I closed my eyes, taking in a deep breath, slowing my heart. Suddenly every small noise reached my ears. There were three Mutants in the room to the right. I took aim and emptied my clip into the two Super Mutants, and they fell. I dropped the clip and pulled another from my holster and loaded it in.

"What was that noise?" The third Mutant slowly walked up, and I fired a few shots, and he fell.

I raided their bodies and found the door to the Rotunda. I slowly opened it and heard two Super Mutants inside, and I closed the door quietly. I hid behind one of the columns and looked at Dogmeat. He barked and quickly hid behind another column. The two Mutants came running down the stairs. I turned and shot them both down, but one of them was able to get a couple of shots and knicked my shoulder with a bullet.

I groaned in pain and looked at my shoulder. It was hardly a scratch which was good. Dogmeat whined and walked up to me, and I patted his head. I stood up, raided their bodies. I walked up the stairs and found some Holotapes sitting on some of the machinery, and I grabbed one and put it into my Holotape player on my Pipboy and clicked play.

My father's voice piped up, talking about Project Purity. I listened to all the tapes and scanned them into my Pipboy before sitting on the ground. He mentioned Vault 112, which was located under Smith Shady's Garage near fucking Tenpenny Tower! I walloped the floor, feeling beyond pissed off. He was so damn close the entire time. Just a three, maybe four days walk depending on the circumstances.

I wanted to scout that location for resources, but Mister Burke and Seth said it would be a waste of my time. Finding Li, Madison was a waste of my fucking time. I could've found my father nearly a year ago. All because I listened to those assholes it was pushed off. My blood was boiling, and Dogmeat whined and laid at my feet.

"That's what I get for listening to fucking humans!" I screamed, and Dogmeat whined again, and I looked at him. "I'm not mad at you," I said calmly, petting his head.

"Louise?" I heard Seth asked and the others walked up to me.

"What?" I asked, and Seth looked at my arm.

"You've been hurt mom," he said, and I chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm hurt. If I didn't listen to you two, I would've found my father by now. Guess where he went to?" I asked standing up.

"Where?" Mister Burke asked, and both him and Seth looked confused.

"Vault 112, under Smith Shady's Garage!" I yelled, and they both flinched.

"For disliking humans, you surely do love your father," Seth snapped at me, and I took a step towards him.

My anger was radiating off of me. I raised my fist, clenching my fist tight and Seth ducked down, and I lowered my arm and walked past them. I turned and looked at Fawkes. I waved them to follow me, and he nodded and started walking with Dogmeat and me.

"Mom, I'm sorry," Seth said running up and blocking the door out.

"Just leave her be," Mister Burke said, and I rolled my eyes.

"Let's stop back at Rivet City and gain some supplies and get you and Dogmeat some sleep," Seth said calmly, and I sighed. "You can't fight off the baddies while tired."

We made it back to Rivet City by the morning's light. I went back to the room that I rented out for two nights and placed my Sniper on the table. I closed and locked the door. I put my other weapons on the table and scrolled through my Pipboy, clicking on my small medical bag. I removed my Pipboy then my leather armor. I sat down on the bed and opened my medical bag. I nursed my wound and wrapped it in a bandage. I laid down, and Dogmeat jumped up and laid next to me.

I took off my sunglasses and dropped them on the floor next to the bed. I closed my eyes and slowly drifted off to what I hoped was a restful sleep.

"-turning to Enclave-" I yelled, but I couldn't make out the other words.

"-your problem-" the same voice from my previous dream.

"This!" I yelled, ripping off my sunglasses.

I jumped awake, Dogmeat falling from my chest and onto the bed. My body was coated with a thin layer of sweat, and goosebumps covered my flesh. I pressed the heels of my hands to my closed eyes and sat there for a moment. I didn't understand what was going on with me anymore. I had dreams of a different man before then after I returned from the Pitt my dreams changed.

"I'm sorry," I said patting Dogmeat's head.

He barked happily at me, and I smiled softly. I got up and put on my Pipboy. I scrolled through, getting a change of clothes. I quickly changed into a new set of leather armor. I quickly got my weapons on my person and made sure that nothing was left behind. I grabbed my sunglasses and put them on. I gave the key back to Vera.

I looked at my Pipboy to see that it was almost eleven in the morning. I walked to the market place and found my crew sitting a table near Gary's Galley. I saw two servings of Brahmin Stake, one Nuka Cola, one bottle of purified water, and an empty bowl. I poured the water into the bowl and set it down for Dogmeat. He lapped it up happily, and I began cutting up one of the Brahmin Steaks for Dogmeat. I removed all the bones and placed it down for him, and he started eating. I cut into mine and starting eating.

"Did you eat?" I asked.

"Yes," Fawkes answered.

"Small change in today's plan for moving. Burke and Seth, you two are going to travel with Fawkes and clear the shoreline in case some others appeared. Try to make it to Farragut West Metro Station near the first bridge to cross the river by day's end. Find a room to make a temp shelter and Dogmeat, and I will arrive shortly after," I said, and Seth looked at me.

"Why?" Was the only thing he asked.

"I want to speak with Doc Li, Madison," I replied and took another bite.

"Are you sure about that?" Mister Burke asked, and I lifted my head to look at them.

"Why are you still here?" I asked. "You need all the time that you have."

"Fine," Mister Burke said standing up.

Fawkes and Seth followed him out. I finished eating and chugged down my Nuka. I went to pay but she, Angela told me it was already covered. Shyly she asked me to buy some Ant Queen Pheromones so she could give them to Diego so he'd fall for her. I agreed and went to A Quick Fix, bought the Pheromones and dropped them off to her without anyone noticing. She slid it up her sleeve and smile softly at me. I went back to the Lab, Dogmeat following close to me. I entered the lab and walked in. I walked down the stairs and up to Doc Li.

"Did you find James?" She asked me.

"He went to Vault 112 to find Braun or his notes," I said, and she sighed.

"So you know about Project Purity?" She asked, and I nodded.

"A G.E.C.K is needed right?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Braun was working on the G.E.C.K and completed it, and we need to know where one is. That's why James must have gone there. Are you going to go to Vault 112?" She asked me.

"Yes. I want to know if my father is still alive or not," I said slightly cold. "Have a nice day Doc," I said, and I left before she could say anything else.

I made it to Farragut West Metro Station around midnight. Dogmeat and I stopped at the Super Mutant camp, ate dinner and just looked up at the stars for a while. Then we continued on our way. We got the Station, and we entered. There were covered bear traps, landmines and a few trip wires set up. I picked up Dogmeat and past around them without a problem. I gave the secret knock on the bathroom door.

"Does the birds fly high?" I heard Seth ask.

"Does your head fit up your ass?" I asked, and I heard him chuckle.

He opened the door, and I walked in and set Dogmeat down. Mister Burke was sleeping in the corner next to the door; Fawkes was asleep on the other side, and there was one more bed straight ahead. Seth started to look tired; bags formed under his eyes.

"Go to sleep. I'll stay up til two and wake up Burke," I whispered and he nodded.

"Are you okay, Louise?" He asked, his voice suddenly serious.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked him, and he sighed.

"Are you having the weird dreams again?" He asked, and I sighed.

"Yes, but it doesn't matter. They are just dreams," I told him, the small memory from when I killed the first Super Mutant in the Jefferson Memorial. "Just go to bed."

"Alright," he whispered, and he laid down, putting his Sniper next to him.

"You too," I whispered looking at Dogmeat.

Dogmeat whined and laid on the ground next to my feet. I sat there, petting Dogmeat as the time drug on. I closed my eyes, thinking about my dreams. First, it was a different man, a man with a red beret and now this man with the dark hair. I dug my fingers into my hair, feeling the scar from Tobar.

I shook my head, trying to push out the memory of the trip when he was cutting into my head. I let out a shaky sigh, not wanting to realize how much the past 'encounters' have damaged my psyche. I thought somehow if I found my father alive, everything would get better. It had too, right? I could help him finish his project and then we could settle in Tenpenny Tower or Rivet City and go back to being father and daughter.

I looked at my Pipboy, seeing that it was nearing four in the morning and I sighed. I woke him up, and he took over the shift, and I laid down, Dogmeat laid next to me. I put my Sniper against the closed my eyes. I slowly started drifting off to sleep, but I felt something. It felt like a man, more muscular than Burke or Seth and it wasn't Fawkes. It was faint, t around my waist, head against the back of mine.

I jumped up, looking around to see if someone got passed, Burke. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Burke. He was staring at me funny, and I pushed off his hand.

"Are you okay?" He asked in a hushed whisper.

"Yes. Leave me alone," I said, and I laid back down, my back to him.

I heard him sigh and I closed my eyes again. I fell asleep; luckily I didn't have the weird dream. I woke up to Seth saying my name and shaking me softly. He had made breakfast, and we all ate and drank quietly. I knew neither of them would say anything and Fawkes only spoke to himself or if someone else commenced the conversation. Once we finished we set out.

We walked across the bridge, then straight towards Megaton's ruins. We fought a few Mole Rats, and I decided to lag behind with Dogmeat so that I could get us some food for later. Once I packaged it the best, I could. I scanned the meat into my Pipboy and Dogmeat, and I started walking, losing about an hour or so.

We made it to Calverton, an old church that was cleared of Super Mutants by me, by one in the morning. The others had set up base, and I nodded to myself. I knew that I had to sneak around the Raider infested Evergreen Mills and continued a bit west, and I would be there. If I continued, I could make it there by noon. I looked down at Dogmeat, and he wagged his tail, then I looked at the church.

"Do you think you can continue boy?" I whispered, and Dogmeat growled happily and wagged his tail.

Dogmeat and I continued through the night. We passed Evergreen Mills around three in the morning since we didn't run into anything that wanted to kill us. My legs were starting to hurt and I knew Dogmeat was getting tired but we were so close. We made it there about two hours after we passed Evergreen. I slowly opened the door to the garage and could hear Mole Rats tromping about. I pulled my pistol form my holster and pushed open the door. I took down the Mole Rats easily, but I didn't want to waste time collecting their meat.

I found the switch that opened the secret tunnel that led down to the Vault. I entered the vault and was almost immediately met with a friendly robot.

"My scanners show that you are-" a weird buzz interrupted his words. "Please put on your suit and follow me," he said handing me a suit.

I quickly changed and followed the robot, and it led me to a room where it appeared all the residents were in pods. It walked me to an empty pod and opened the door. I sighed and decided to jump in, telling Dogmeat to stay unless there was trouble. The pod closed, and a T. V screen moved in front of my face.

I seemed to be transported in this weird world where I was a young kid. It was a circular subdivision with no road in or out, and in the middle was a small park with a tree, bush, a dog, a little girl and a few pieces of equipment. I walked up to the little girl.

"Why hello there!" She chirped. "I'm Betty, and you must be new here."

"I'm looking for my father," I said, and she nodded.

"James?"

"Yes. Do you know where he is?"

"I'll tell you if you play my game," she said, and I arched my brow.

I looked down at my left arm to see my Pipboy was replaced with a watch.

"Game?" I asked looking at her.

"First thing first. Make Timmy Neusbaum cry," she said, and I nodded.

"Alright," I said, and I turned to walk away, but I saw the dog looking at me.

I decided to walk around the block while Betty was distracted. I found an abandoned house and decided to sneak inside. I saw a glass pitcher, radio, a lawn gnome, cinder block, and an empty Nuka bottle. I tapped the radio, and a pleasant ding rang out. I touched the bottle, and it buzzed at me.

I figured the code and the wall to my right turned into a giant computer. I walked up to it and looked through all the options and decided to start the Chinese Simulation. I heard rifles firing away outside. I walked outside and saw the Chinese Military shooting all the residents besides Betty and the dog. I walked up to Betty.

"What did you do?" Her voice was now male and had an accent.

"My father Braun," I said crossing my arms.

"He'll be waiting for you outside," he said looking over my shoulder.

I turned to see the dog was gone and I looked back at Betty to see a door next to her.

"What happens to you?"

"I'll be here," it was back to the girl's voice.

"Alone," I said, and I walked through the door.

My pod opened, and I quickly got up and jumped out. Another pod was opened, and my father was stepping out. I ran up to him, wrapping my arms around him. He seemed a bit shocked but hugged me.

"What are you doing here?" He asked me and I felt tears slide down my cheeks.

"I was looking for you," I whispered.

"I told you to stay in the Vault," he said, and I took a step back and arched my brow.

"When?" I asked him.

"You didn't get the tape from Jonas?" He asked.

"Jonas was murdered by the Overseer's men," I said, and he nodded. "I never got a tape."

"I'm sorry sweetheart," he said, and I wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Why do you hide your eyes?" He asked taking my sunglasses off.

"Because no one else finds them beautiful," I said shyly.

"You worry too much of what other's think," he said, and I took my sunglasses back.

"This is Dogmeat," I said changing the subject.

Dogmeat was now at my feet, wagging his tail. He barked happily.

"Hey boy," dad said crouching down to pet Dogmeat's head.

"Louise!" I heard Seth yell.

"And who is that?" My father asked, and I chuckled.

"His name is Seth and don't worry. I'm no dating him," I said, and Seth ran into the room, followed my Burke and Fawkes.

"And they are?"

"Fawkes is the Mutant, and Mister Burke is the older man," I whispered in his ear.

"Guys, this is James," I said looking at my father.

"Your father," Seth whispered.


	6. Citadel

On the way back to Rivet City, my father talked to Seth and Mister Burke about their relationship with me and how they met me. Mister Burke lied and said that he met outside of Megaton during his business trip there and invited me back to Tenpenny Tower because they had the resources there that he would be able to use to help find my father. Seth said that he stumbled upon me while traveling the Wastes and offered to help.

My father asked how I was doing and I lied about almost everything. I told him how I tried to stop Megaton's bomb from exploding, but the core was unstable, and I explained how I tried to get them to leave, but none of them would listen to me so I left before the bomb would blow. He told me he loved me still and was sorry that no one would listen to me when I tried to warn them.

I didn't have any weird dreams during the nights back to Rivet City. My father taught me about Project Purity and gave me books to read about science, medicine, and weapons and I studied them. He taught me everything he knew while the others slept. It was like back before he left, us laughing, and talking.

On our last night in the Wasteland, my father and I were up, talking about small things, Project Purity, the Brotherhood of Steel, and the Enclave. IT was nearing one in the morning, tiredness covered his face, and I could feel the drowsiness creep into my veins. I rubbed my eyes and looked at my father. He had a hand in his gray hair, his hazel eyes scanning over a piece of paper he held.

"Dad," I whispered, and he looked at me.

"Yes, sweetie?" He whispered.

"I want to talk to you about an issue Seth is having."

"What issue is that?" He didn't seem too pleased about this.

"He's been having these dreams that appear to be realistic and has been feeling like someone is touching him, but no one is," I explained and he rubbed his chin.

"I never heard of something like that before, but it could also be a side effect of the radiation. I'll have to look into when I have more free time," he flashed me a warm smile, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"We should reach Rivet City by dinner tomorrow... well today," I said, and he nodded his head.

"That's good. I'll have to speak to Madison once we get there, however," he said, and I arched my brow.

"You two seem to be a bit more than colleagues," I said, my voice a bit unhinged.

"It's not like that," he said, and I looked at him.

"Well, why not? Mom's only been dead, what, twenty-one years? You really should move on," I said standing up and grabbing my Sniper. "You really should find someone else," I said as Dogmeat jumped up.

"Louise," he said standing.

"I have to check the perimeter. Wake up Seth and Burke in an hour else you hear something," I said, and I left, Dogmeat following me.

I wasn't angry at him for him wanting; if he wanted, someone else. I was mad at him for leaving me, for lying to me, for not trusting me with what he was planning on doing. I wasn't angry at him. I stopped walking, the moonlight glowing down, the cold air brushing against my cheeks. I was mad at the others. Seth, Mister Burke, the Enclave, the fucking bigots that plagued the Wasteland. I was angry at myself for what I was becoming.

I ran my fingers through my blood red hair, shaking out some of the snarls. I looked around. Dukov allowed us to stay at his place and there weren't much of any hazards out here. I looked up at the moon. I wish I could go back to Mothership Zeta and just fly away to a different planet and just live alone.

"Everything will be alright," the same voice from the invisible man but it was gentle.

I felt hands grab my shoulders, slide down my arms and wrap around my waist. I felt a body press against mine. I leaned my head back, seeming able to feel his shoulder.

"Who are you?" I whispered into the night time.

"Louise," Seth's voice brought me back to my senses, and the feeling was gone.

"What?" I asked spinning around to face him.

"Are you alright?" He asked me, and I sighed.

"I'm good," I replied, and I turned back around to face the wall.

"I heard you talking to your father," he said, and I shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. Go back inside," I said, and I heard him sigh.

"You told me you weren't having the dreams. Why are you lying to me?"

"Because it's none of your business Seth. My problems are my problems," I sighed, and I heard the door open and close.

I turned my head to see that Seth was gone and I was alone with Dogmeat. I sat down, leaning my back against the makeshift wall. Dogmeat laid his head in my lap and slowly fell asleep. I closed my eyes, trying to remember the people from my dreams, trying to remember if I ever saw them in the Wasteland. I hadn't realized that I was asleep until Seth woke me up. Dogmeat jumped up, barking and Seth and I rubbed my eyes with my hands.

"Did you sleep out here?" I heard my father ask and I looked up at him.

"Power nap," I replied.

The sun was just rising over the horizon, the air warming up and the nocturnal monsters were on their way to bed. I stood and stretched. Sleeping sitting up hurt my ass a bit but it was better that being shot. I grabbed my sunglasses from Seth and slid them on.

"Should we go down to the Mutant camp and start up a fire to cook us breakfast?" Mister Burke asked, and I shrugged.

"If you wish," I said rolling my shoulders.

"To keep our strengths, we should go," Seth mumbled.

"Alright then," I mumbled. "Fawkes, Dogmeat and I will take the lead. Dad, you're the middle along with Burke and Seth you have the rear," I said.

We got there without any trouble. I started up a fire, and we cooked up some Mole Rat meat I collected. We all ate and drank quietly. Once we finished up, we decided to rest for a little bit so I could get more sleep even though I told them numerous times that I was okay. The ground was soft, laying on my side, using my arm as a pillow. I felt Dogmeat curl up near my back and I leaned against him and slowly drifted off to sleep.

It was the same dream I had before I went into the Pitt. The one with the guy with the red beret and Sniper. Everything was blurry besides his red beret.

"Why- love me?" I could hardly make out the words he was saying.

"Who- did?" I heard my voice ask.

"I know," he replied.

My eyes opened, and I sat up. I looked around, seeing my dad looking at his research, Seth and Burke were cleaning their guns, and Fawkes was with my dad. Dogmeat was sitting next to me, and he barked happily then licked my cheek. I patted his head and wiped away his saliva from my cheek. The others looked over at me, and I stood up, dusting off the dirt.

"You were only sleeping for twenty minutes," Seth said looking at his Pipboy. "Sleep a bit more," he said, and I shook my head.

"No, I'm good. You guys can rest a bit longer. I'm going to scout ahead a bit. When I return, we can head out," I said picking up my Sniper and started to walk away.

"Louise," my father's voice cut through the air like a knife into flesh.

"Yes?" I asked turning to look at him.

"Quit trying to run. Sit by me and let's talk," my father said, and I looked at him.

"Talk about what?" I asked him and he patted the ground next to him.

"We'll do the scouting," Seth said, and the three of them left, leaving Dogmeat, my father, and myself.

I sat down next to him, and he put down his research. Dogmeat laid next to me, and I put my Sniper in front. I took off my sunglasses and looked at my father. He let out a sigh.

"I guess by now that you figured out that we weren't born in the Vault," he started and I nodded.

"I've always known," I told him and he nodded.

"You are a smart girl. Your mother would be very proud of you," he said, and I looked at the ground.

"Would she be?" I asked him and he nodded.

"You tried to save people from a bomb, sweetheart. Most people would look the other way."

"Do you have feelings for Madison?" I asked him and he smiled.

"She's a respected colleague, nothing else sweetheart. I loved your mother too much."

"Wouldn't she want you to move on and be happy?" I asked him and he wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"I am happy. After Project Purity you and I can make a home in Rivet City and we can continue working and learning, and you can find yourself a husband because I won't be around forever," he said, and I chuckled.

"Not really the one for love," I said, and he chuckled.

"You think that now but you will meet him or her soon," he said, and I looked at him.

"I prefer guys," I said, and he chuckled.

"As long as you're happy, I'll be happy," he said.

I decided to tell him about the Pitt, the Trogs, and what I did to help them. I told him how I went in as an undercover slave, how I had to fight men who were armed with guns and I only had my fists. I told him how I stole the baby, destroying the town, setting the slaves free, and helping with the radiation and smog up there. He said he was proud of helping those who couldn't help themselves but had a problem with me stealing a baby from its parents.

"Coast is clear," Seth said as he and the others returned.

"Well it's time for lunch unless you guys want to go straight to Rivet," I said, and Seth shrugged.

"I'm not really hungry," he said, and I nodded.

"I can wait," Fawkes said, and I looked at my dad.

"We should get going," he said, and I nodded.

We made it to Rivet City by dinner. My dad went to talk to Madison, and the rest of us went to eat. As we were eating a group of scientist, including my father and Madison walked into the market. I placed my fork down, and they spotted us and quickly walked up to us. They told us that they needed to go to the Jefferson Memorial and needed to continue Project Purity before the Enclave caught wind of what they were doing. I agreed to help them, and we paid for our food and got up.

Seth, Dogmeat and I were walking in front of the group, Burke and Fawkes took the rear. We walked through the night which was hard because I couldn't remove my glasses with the unknowns around. Luckily for us, we only had to fight off some high raiders who shot at each other more than us. We made it to the Jefferson Memorial by day break. Everyone was exhausted, hungry and thirsty.

"Someone needs to go in and clear the Super Mutants from the Jefferson," Madison said, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'll do it," I said, and my dad looked at me. "I'm the only one here who has the best combat experience. Dogmeat will join me, you guys stay here and protect them from anything," I said looking at Seth.

"Be careful," Mister Burke said, and I nodded.

I entered the Jefferson with Dogmeat following me. I scanned my Sniper into my Pipboy. I grabbed my Serrated Machete and my custom 10mm Pistol, holding the Machete in my left hand and my Pistol in my right. I found the Basement door and slowly opened it. It made a squeak, and I could hear Super Mutants talking.

I slowly made my way down the steps and stopped once I could see one of the Super Mutants. I aimed my Pistol and fired, happy I put the silencer on last night. He landed with a thud and a Centaur walked from the hall to the right into the room. Its tongues were flailing about. I fired, killing it. I reloaded my Pistol before continuing. I made my way through the basement, killing Mutants with my Machete and Pistol. I ended up getting smacked with a Centaur's tongue on my left leg, leaving me with ripped armor and three bleeding welts. A Super Mutant was able to lodge a bullet into my arm.

I was exhausted, bleeding, with black dots dancing in my vision. Dogmeat ran ahead. I made it to the basement door that was still ajar, and I sat down, taking some pressure off of my sore leg. My fighting was off; maybe it was the emotional aspect of finding my father and rethinking of everything I've done. I needed to get my head straight, or I was going to get up dead. I heard Dogmeat bark from a distance, and I holstered my Pistol. I got back up, using, my right leg to support most of my weight.

"Louise!" I heard Seth yell.

"What?" I yelled, hearing my voice shocked me.

It sounded just as exhausted and worse off as I was.

"Are you okay?" Seth asked, and I could see them rushing down the hall towards me.

My father was the first to reach me, grabbing hold of my shoulders. He saw my wounds and a look of dread covered his face. He helped me to the other room where he had me sit in a chair. He and Doc Madison worked on patching me up. Once they finished up my father hugged me.

"Are you okay?" He whispered in my ear.

"I'm alright," I said, and he looked at me.

"Are you sure? Those were pretty nasty cuts," he said, and I heard Seth chuckle.

"She's survived a Deathclaw attack," he said, and my dad looked at him.

"You were attacked by a Deathclaw?" My father asked as he looked at me.

"Yeah. It's fine," I said, and he sighed.

"James, there are some problems with the equipment here," Madison said as she approached us.

"What needs to be fixed?" I asked her and my father rolled his eyes.

"You need to rest," dad told me. "You've lost a bit of blood, and you shouldn't put too much pressure on your leg."

"I'm all right," I said. "What do you need done?"

"There is a flood pipe that needs to be turned off; fuses need to be replaced, the mainframe needs to be turned on, and the intake pipes need to be drained. The last one is more dangerous than the others," Doc Madison said.

"I can take care of the others, and when I get back Louise and I will go into the intake pipe and shut it off," Seth said, and I rolled my eyes.

I helped out with what I could upstairs while Seth was taking care of things in the basement. He was gone for about half and hour before he came back up. I ordered him to stay up and help while I went into the pipe.

I walked up to my father, getting a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hugged him tightly, kissed his cheek, and told him I loved him. I went into the pipe, the sick feeling worsening. I made it to the spot, turned the valve and heard a weird noise coming from outside. I looked through a hole and saw Vertibirds landing, and Enclave soldiers were stepping out. I quickly made my way back to the Rotunda.

When I entered, I could see my dad along with Janice, and Colonel Autumn from the Enclave was locked inside. I asked Li if she could open it and she told me no. I went up to the door, hearing Autumn threatening my father and I saw him shoot Janice. I started hitting the glass and Autumn turned to look at me.

"Ah, Miss Louise," he said with a small chuckle.

"Let my father go you fuck head!" I screamed at him, and he rolled his eyes.

"Louise," Seth said, and I hit the glass part of the door hard enough to break a couple of bones in my left hand.

"Get this up and running. Now!" Autumn ordered, and my father sighed.

I picked up a nearby Pipe with my right hand and hit the door again. My father walked up to the controls, and he looked back at me.

"He doesn't know it. I'm the only one who knows how to work it," I said, and Autumn looked back at me.

"Shut up," he snapped at me, and a yelled as I hit the door again, denting the metal on the door and breaking the pipe.

My dad put in code, and a warning buzzer sounded. There was a small surge of a high dose of radiation. My Geiger started clicking, and the Enclave soldiers started falling dead. My dad put his hand on the glass, and I put mine on his.

"I... love... you," he said before collapsing.

"I love you too," I whispered, and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Louise, we need to go before the Enclave figures something is wrong," Doc Li said, but her words didn't really register.

"Louise," Seth said, but I just looked at my father. "Lead the way, and I'll make sure-"

"Front doors block, no back. How do we get out?" I asked looking at Li.

"There is a tunnel system that will lead us to the Citadel. The Taft Tunnel could be filled with Ferals or Enclave members."

"Not to worry. I'll lead, Seth, Fawkes, and Burke will take the back and Dogmeat will stay with the other scientists, and you guys will be in the middle," I said, and Seth sighed.

"Your left hand is broken," Seth said, and I looked at him.

"Move out," I said.

It all seemed like a blur. I remember decapitating Ferals with my Serrated Machete and shot Enclave soldiers with my custom 10mm. I remember finding some Prewar Chinese artifacts and Seth grabbed them. I remembered hearing that Garza was having heart problems, so I gave them five stimpaks. They got his heart steady, and we continued. Once we made it to the ladder, that would lead us up near the Citadel.

I had Dogmeat jump on my bag and carried him out. Doc Li was yelling at Elder Lyons to let us in through an intercom. The door was pulled open vertically, going up over our heads with a screech. We entered the Citadel, and Doc Li walked up to a senior man and they spoke in a hushed tone.

"James is dead. This is his daughter and her friends," was the only thing I heard at first. "She watched him die," was the second.

It felt like my throat was closing and it was getting hard to breathe. My world was spinning, things were becoming blurry. My body felt hot, and I was suffocating. I fell to my knees, my hand on my chest. I felt hands on my back, but I couldn't hear anything but my heart beating. I closed my eyes, trying to clear my mind but darkness soon engulfed me.


End file.
